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SoCal: Day 5, Disneyland and Flight Home

The girl at the gate at Disneyland last night told me that the park opened at 8am today, so I set my alarm for 7, showered and packed up the room so I could enjoy the morning at the park. Well, when I arrived with my spirits high at 8am sharp I discovered that the girl was wrong and the park opened at 10. Crestfallen, I went back to the hotel and grabbed the car, going to the Company D Store/Team Center to see if they were opened. They opened at 9, so I went to the gas station to fill up the car and clean out the trunk. I headed back to the Team Store and made some purchases, then went back to the hotel to check out.

After checking out, I went back to the park, as it was now 10. I went in and went to the Lincoln Experience. This exhibit was closed last year when I was here, so I was glad to check it out. Turns out this exhibit has changed often throughout the years, being revamped about 5 times. They restored it to the original, which was very cool since it was restored to what Walt himself planned and wanted. I was amazed to see how much of the show was also incorporated into the American Experience at EPCOT Center in Walt Disney World.

After Lincoln, I went to Adventureland and Pirates of the Caribbean. It did not disappoint, again. I found Jack the Pumpkin King and Sally outside the Haunted House, and seeing as how there was no wait I went on the Haunted Mansion again. Oh, but before going on the ride I grabbed a churro since the stand was finally open ;)

After the Mansion, I walked around some to absorb the park- making my way to Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, winding up back on Mainstreet USA I walked toward the exit and stopped by the Firehouse to pay homage to Uncle Walt. I turned to leave - I really only had about an hour and a half to enjoy the park since I didn’t want to be late for my 1:40p flight. Of course, I did grab a fresh churro on my way out ;)

The drive back to John Wayne only took about 20 minutes, and returning the car was a breeze. I flew through security and had about an hour before my flight. I was very disappointed to see that the only food options in the airport are McDonalds and Starbucks, some bars and restaurants (not quick) and bookstores. I’ll have to remember that for next time and grab food on the way. Or eat in the park, but I didn’t want to waste what little time I had there eating.

The flight is rather light again, and I got my own row. This time we are flying a little higher tack, and I was able to see the Grand Canyon from the air, which was amazing. I hope to see that in January. The Rockies were incredible - way better than the part we saw on the way out. Perhaps it’s because we’re coming the other way and the setting sun is hitting them, but it’s simply gorgeous.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get myself another CranApple…

SoCal: Day 4, Hollywood

I pulled into the driveway and headed upstairs while Lindsey finished getting ready. We hopped in the car and drove down into Hollywood to the Silent Movie Theater. It’s this old Silent Movie Theater, the last of it’s kind, that was saved by some movie lovers. They show ‘talkies’ now, but they still show Silents with live pianists/organists, which sounds really cool. We went to the special Halloween show, a Vincent Price double feature with works of William Castle.

It was sold out when we go there, and we put our name on the wait list, and we were the last people to be chosen and seated. The movie was House on Haunted Hill, which was fun. I had never seen it before, and I can’t remember the last Vincent Price movie I watched. It was a lot of fun though, seeing it on the big screen, and the audience seemed to really appreciate that genre.

We decided to leave after the movie and not stay for the second, which was good as I was getting tired as was she since she’s training for a marathon in Catalina. We left the theater and drove around a bit until we found Umami Burger. It turns out burgers are getting big in California like in NY, and this place was pretty good. I got the Umami Burger (have to go with the signature, right?) and fries. It was good…nothing amazing, but a good solid burger. While we were eating a party bus of Halloween-clad drunk kids came in, which was interesting but made it rather loud, and distracted our waiter from paying any attention to us, so it took a while to get out of there. My favorite was the slutty bride.

I drove Lindsey back to her place and changed her bathroom light bulb since I’m tall and she asked. After saying goodbye, I headed back to the 101 South and made my way back to Anaheim.

The bad thing about the time difference on Sundays is that Breakfast with the Beatles is on at 6am. The good thing is that the replay starts at 9pm. I listened to that as I made my way south, and made it to Anaheim in no time. I swung by the Best Western Anaheim Inn where I stayed last year and got a room for the evening. I tried to go to Disneyland for a few hours, but it turns out it was a special Halloween event that required a special ticket…so I walked around downtown Disney for a bit and headed back to the room. I was really tired anyway.

SoCal: Day 4, The Drive

I drove down the 101, wanting to make it down to Malibu and their beaches. I figured that’d be the best way to spend my day.

I worked my way down, eventually hopping onto US 1 and traveling along the beach. Tom Petty was on the radio, and all I could see was ocean and mountains.

My first stop was along the highway where I saw some surfers out looking for waves. I parked and hopped onto the beach and just laid there for a few minutes, but I found myself close to falling asleep, so I decided to get back in the car and continue on.

I made my way further down, driving slow at parts and pulling off here and there. At one point near the top of hill in Malibu I pulled off the side to admire the view and check Yelp to decide where to have lunch. It was around the time that I was about to pull out that an old white van pulled in front of me, which I found odd. It looked like he was trying to turn around, so I waved him on. It was some dude, maybe in his early forties, with a pull-down hat on. He looked at me, pulled out his camera, snapped a picture, and drove away. It was the strangest thing - and the next few miles had my mind wondering what had just happened. But I quickly forgot about it, and made my way down into Malibu.

I pulled off the PCH and down to Zuma beach. There was only one restaurant there called The Sunset Restaurant and Beach Bar, so I decided to give it a shot. I had the BBQ Pork Sliders and tater tots. It was an okay meal, but the restaurant seemed rather overpriced. The view of the ocean was amazing though - I guess you’re paying for that.

I drove down to the park at the tip of Malibu and looked at the ocean for bit, then headed back to the PCH. I was meeting my friend Lindsey at 5:30 in Hollywood and I wanted to give time for traffic. I took the PCH down to Santa Monica and hopped on the 10, which I took to the 110, to the 101. I felt like I was on a Binary excursion. Base 2 all the way from Santa Barbara to Hollywood.

I pulled into Hollywood around 5:15, and made my way to her place. After circling for a parking spot for a few minutes she texted me to park in the driveway. That was way easier.

SoCal: Day 4, Santa Barbara

We woke up the next day and started to get ready to leave. Jeff, not realizing how a shower curtain works, flooded the bathroom floor, using up all of the towels save one for him and one for me. I did not have such trouble with the shower, understanding how shower-heads and pressure work.

We packed up the car and checked out, and Jeff took off to meet up with his buddy in LA. I, too, was meeting a friend in LA, but I had several hours to kill as I wasn’t meeting her until the evening. I was going to head to a local bar to watch the end of the Jets game, but it was just too gorgeous outside to sit in a bar. I walked down to the marina and walked along a jetty that went out into the ocean and around the marina. It was amazing, the waves crashing on the rocks next to the jetty, spraying mist high into the air.

After doubling back I walked along the beach a little until I came back to the hotel. I walked back to the Skate Park to watch for a little bit. The kids there were much younger than the evening before, but they were all working and honing their craft. There was an art gallery/sale going on around that area and I checked it out for a bit.

I went back to the car and decided to start to work my way down the coast, giving me time to stop if the desire struck.

SoCal: Day 3, The Rest

We had planned the trip originally intending to meet up in Santa Barbara and check out some wineries, but the area was so interesting we decided to forgo the driving and check out what it had to offer. We walked out to the Pier and trekked out the end of it. It was a very wide pier with parking and a few restaurants, with fishing at the tip.

We headed back to the mainland and started to walk down the coast on the bike road. There was a cool little local skating park and we stopped to check it out. It was fun watching the local kids on skates and BMX bikes all enjoying the park. We tried to figure out protocol and etiquette because there was so much action yet no one was getting into anyone’s way and there were no collisions. It was very wild to see. We saw a few really good guys doing some cool tricks and catching nice air. After about 20 minutes we walked down the length of the bike path and then doubled back, stopping at the skate park again while deciding what we wanted to do next.

We opted to hit a wine-tasting room, and checked out Kunin Wines. Jeff met and spoke with the wine maker, asking a bunch of questions and learning what the wine maker knew. I sat back and absorbed as much as I could while enjoying his wine.

After the tasting we headed back to the room to figure out what to do for dinner. We walked along the strip to find something local. We settled on the Fishouse, a local bar and restaurant, which was good because we could watch the Ducks/Sharks game. Our waitress Corey was absolutely adorable and chatted with us a bit about the local area and the restaurant. We had a great bottle of wine and I had the macadamia-crusted sea bass with rice and snap peas. It was delicious.

After dinner we walked out and hung out the pier for a while and shot the breeze. It was a very relaxing and laid back evening, which was good after all of the running around of the last few days.

SoCal: Day 3, The Drive

I woke up on Saturday and packed up the room and my car. I was parting with Shok and Mary - they were heading to LA for the Devils vs. Kings game, and I was heading up to Santa Barbara to meet my buddy Jeff who himself was visiting California and coming down the coast. You may remember him from the North Carolina blog entries.

With the car packed I met up with Shok for coffee before leaving. After goodbyes I headed out, filling up the car and driving out to Rte 1 (Pacific Coast Highway). I had taken the PCH from Santa Barbara to San Jose a few years ago, so I wanted to do the Anaheim to Santa Barbara leg.

The Anaheim to Los Angeles leg is NOT worth doing. It was a lot dirty little towns and just nothingness. I’m glad I did it, but I won’t do it again. Next time I’ll take the freeway up to Santa Monica and pick it up there. That’s where it gets cool.

Driving through Malibu on the Pacific Coast Highway

Santa Monica and beyond is a lot of cool little towns and beaches, and gorgeous views and vistas. I drove through Malibu which was amazing, and continued up the coast. I knew I was going to be a bit late, but it was worth it to see the scenery.

The PCH meets up with the 101 in a few places, and I would get off and continue to hug the coast to see as much of the ocean as possible on my drive. Getting close to Santa Barbara, I found myself hungry and needing a restroom. I made a pit stop and decided to try Wienerschnitzel. Not wanting to spoil any dinner or wine tasting, I just got their hotdog. It was….okay. But the bun was soggy, which is just lame and unnecessary.

Eventually, just outside of Santa Barbara I hopped onto the 101 to get up there, since there was not much more to see.

I checked into the hotel about 30 minutes before Jeff arrived, and once he got in we unloaded the cars and planned out the rest of the day.